Candidates seek last-minute support

Candidates make push in final hours of primary campaigns

By Jayme Fraser |
May 26, 2014
| Updated: May 27, 2014 7:02am

Election clerk Richard De Los Santos prepares voting booths at the Metropolitan Multiservices building on West Gray.

More Information

Cast your ballot

›› When: Polls are open today from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

›› Where: To find your precinct's voting location, visit www. harrisvotes.org or call 713-755-6965. For many voters, it will not be the same location as the primary election

›› Voter ID: Voters must present photo identification, such as a driver's license, to cast a ballot in person. Voters who have no photo identification may cast a provisional ballot, but must present a valid photo ID to the county registrar's office within six days.

Craig Doyal watched the skies Monday before loading hundreds of campaign signs into his Chevy Avalanche.

It was the final evening Doyal, a Republican candidate for Montgomery County judge, his wife and some campaign volunteers could plant the signs at polling stations for Tuesday's primary runoff election.

"We were waiting for the rain to start again," he joked. "We've got to put them out tonight, so we're going to go out into it."

The Precinct 2 commissioner was one of many candidates locked in one-on-one battles for a ballot spot who were spurred to shake more hands and make finals calls to potential voters on Monday.

Polling locations will be open Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Doyal faces Mark Bosma, the county director of infrastructure who has secured endorsements from the area's two major tea party groups, after a heated battle of conservative credentials in the heavily Republican area.

In Harris County, Republican voters must nominate five local judges, two state representatives, state railroad commissioner, state commissioner of agriculture, state attorney general, lieutenant governor and U.S. representative. The Democratic ballot includes two races: for U.S. Senate and Texas agriculture commissioner.

The runoffs set-up heated exchanges in many races that, in some cases, escalated beyond the intensity seen leading up to the March primary.

Among the nastiest has been the boxing match between third-term Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, who has been bleeding support, and Houston Republican Dan Patrick, who has maintained an advantage in polls despite his opponent landing personal blows.

Hoping to plough into the general election, many candidates ramped up Monday's campaigning, often starting the morning by joining in Memorial Day ceremonies to honor fallen American soldiers.

"Every vote, especially with the abysmal turnout, really matters," said Ian Overton, campaign manager for Kesha Rogers, who has compared President Obama to Adolf Hitler. She is running against Dallas dentist and investor David Alameel for the Democratic nomination to the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican John Cornyn.

Voter turnout is historically low in primary runoff races: Often, less than 5 percent of Harris County's more than 2 million registered voters cast ballots.